'Postcode lottery' for special needs childcare

Parents of children with special needs face a postcode lottery in their search for good nurseries and childminders, Ofsted warned today.

The education watchdog said the availability of good quality care for children with learning difficulties or disabilities varied widely across England.

Even nurseries or childminders rated as "good or outstanding" struggled to provide adequate care for children with special needs, inspectors said.

Ofsted's report said childminders and nursery groups needed expert training and support from health workers and local councils to look after children with "complex health needs" and "challenging behaviour".

But the report said this extra help and training was "too inconsistent across the country".

"As a result, services for children with special needs depend on where they live, not on what they need."

Ofsted visited private and voluntary nursery groups and childminders, which make up the vast majority of childcare services in England.

All of the 42 groups visited had good reputations for looking after children with special needs, alongside other children.

But inspectors were critical of what they saw.

Inconsistent training and the lack of a "can-do" attitude were the biggest barriers to looking after disabled children, the Ofsted report found.

"The attitude of the provider is fundamental to achieving successful outcomes for children," the report said.

The best nurseries and childminders publicly welcomed children with learning difficulties or disabilities.

Maurice Smith, Ofsted's director of early years, said: "Ofsted found some real barriers to private and voluntary childcare providers securing the high quality care that children with special needs deserve.

"Childcare in the private and voluntary sector forms a large proportion of this country's childcare provision and it is a concern that even those identified as good or outstanding face problems.

"But this is not an insurmountable challenge. We have seen enough good practice to know that, with the right attitude, support and training, nurseries, play schemes and childminders can provide a high quality service for all children."

A spokeswoman for the Department for Education and Skills said: "Improving access to good quality childcare and early education for disabled children is one of the key priorities of the government's early years policy.

"Our forthcoming childcare bill will give local authorities a duty to provide sufficient, good quality places for all children."